Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (book club recommendations txt) 📗

and glasses with ice. Everyone was already eating. Charles Andrew must have put on light music in the background, perhaps to give my mother and I some privacy. He was always good with reading situations between our mother and me. We sat down to eat. My mother and Belín were both sitting next to Ben. My mom poured his root beer into a glass full of ice and placed it next to his plate. Belín and Ben were talking. She kept touching his arm or his hand, flirting. Charles Andrew was throwing pieces of fat to Samson and petting him. It was a comforting scene. I fixed my plate and moved closer to Charles Andrew.

“Thanks for the music. I know it was you that did that.” I hugged his neck.

“You’re welcome. I knew what mom was up to when she took you in the pantry. I was thinking there might be a yelling match so I didn’t even think twice about it, but y’all kept it pretty tame.”

“Nope, no yelling this time. Mom just cried a little and very quietly. And before you ask, no I didn’t make her cry…she was crying because someone tried to kill me today but only shot me in the arm. Hence, the pain meds and antibiotics.”

Charlie choked on his wine. “Kill you! I know you said the Feds were here to protect you or whatever but I just thought it was more of a precaution kind of thing. I never actually thought something like that would happen!”

“Yeah, me neither. But I’m okay…Josh did his job. Now, Ben has to take his place and who knows what might happen.” I’m sure Charlie could sense my melancholy mood.

“So, why didn’t you go see him?” he asked.

“I guess I should have at least gone to thank him or just see how he was doing. I just couldn’t bring myself to go…especially after I discovered he’s a playboy with several girls on the back burner.” I took a big bite of brisket.

“Playboy? Isabel Grace, are you sure? He didn’t strike me as the type…that night I crashed your non-date, the way he was interacting with you and the way he kept looking at you…he just didn’t come across as a guy that would do that sort of thing. What makes you think he’s a playboy?”

“I saw his phone and there were two girls on there, blowing kisses and talking about love. Need I say more?” I rolled my eyes in disgust.

“Well, did you ask him about it?” He almost sounded like our mother.

“Yes. No. Sort of. I didn’t ask him right away…I saw it on his phone, Charles Andrew! He would’ve just made up an excuse, so why bother? I instead left for the hospital without him to get some work done and he later followed me there. He said there was a good explanation for it but he couldn’t say what that was because it was work related.” I scoffed at the thought and drank my root beer.

“And you didn’t believe him?” he asked with a mouth full of brisket and sausage.

“No, I didn’t believe him.” I looked up at my mom and she was busy talking to Ben and Belín.

“Let me understand this, you saw other girls on his phone texting sweet nothings to Josh and a few pictures too, and you didn’t ask for an explanation. You just assumed it would be a lie so you didn’t bother? He then said there is a very good explanation but he can’t tell you because it has to do with his job. Is that correct so far?” He sat back in his chair and sipped his wine. “Did you ever bother to ask Ben here if Josh was telling the truth?”

“Not exactly. I told Ben what I saw and he knew about all the pictures and texts. I never really asked him anything. Although, he answered by asking if that’s all I saw. He said there are usually more girls on his phone. The knife felt like it got pushed in a little deeper when he said that. He wasn’t at all surprised at what I said. It was more as if he was pondering on it. I felt like such an idiot.” I was pushing my food around my plate.

“Isabel Grace, I don’t know how you really feel about Josh and I’m not going to speculate on what Ben is thinking…what I do know is what I saw with you and Josh,” he offered, wiggling his wine glass in front of me—his way of asking for more wine so he didn’t have to get up and get it. I reached across the table to get it and poured some in his glass. He took a long sip and then smacked his lips.

“Good?” I asked, smirking at him. He nodded and took another sip and smacked his lips again. Charlie could make me giggle at the silliest things.

“I believe Josh, Isabel Grace. Josh cares for you and I don’t think he would lie about something like this. Whether you believe him or not shouldn’t matter. You should at least thank him for what he did for you. You owe him that much, even if it is his job.”

“Charles Andrew, I hate it when you make sense. Tell me again why you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“Because there are so many girls to choose from, I can’t pick just one.” He winked and gave me a wicked grin. I stopped chewing and scowled at him. Was he kidding? I hoped he was kidding. My mother interrupted us, saying time for cake. I glanced over at Ben and Belín. She had her hair to one side, sitting sideways on her chair with her knee touching his thigh. Yup, she was so obviously flirting and she didn’t care who saw it. Loved her Spanish non-inhibition. Ben seemed to like it too.